With an unprecedented 80-hour gap between the opening of the market and the signing of contracts, we were expecting one or two (or more) guys to renege on non-binding verbal agreements.
And we now have our first one.
On Wednesday, agent Rick Smith declared on his Twitter page that receiver Brandon Stokley had agreed to terms with the Redskins. “Congratulations to Brandon Stokley a Washington Redskin,” Smith said.
We then pointed out that Stokley’s arrival gives the Redskins a crowded house at receiver.
Apparently, Stokley and/or Smith read PFT.
“Spoke to soon. Brandon Stokley won’t sign with Redskins. Too many WR’s signed,” Rick Smith tweeted on Thursday, via ESPN.com.
Stokley -- and every other free agent who has agreed to terms -- have every right to back away from any agreement that has been reached. As we wrote on Tuesday night, “An executive with an NFC team speculated that some teams may be concerned about doing an agreement in principle and having the agent or the player shop that offer to someone else, since a deal isn’t binding until it’s signed.”
In Stokley’s case, it’s possible that he realized after the fact that the Redskins have too many receivers. It’s also possible that some other team has offered Stokley a better deal, and that Smith is hiding behind that excuse.
Either way, it’s safe to say that the Redskins aren’t happy about this one.